Moldova is a small, landlocked country in Eastern Europe, set between Romania and Ukraine on the gentle, fertile plains between the Prut and Dniester rivers. A largely rural land of vineyards, orchards, and rolling countryside, it shares its language and much of its history with neighbouring Romania. One of the poorest and least-known countries in Europe, it is famous above all for its deep tradition of winemaking and for a frozen territorial dispute that has shadowed its independence.
The land was the core of the historic principality of Moldavia, which in the late Middle Ages, under rulers such as Stephen the Great, defended itself against the Ottomans and others. The eastern part of Moldavia, known as Bessarabia, was taken by the Russian Empire in the nineteenth century. After changing hands between Romania and the Soviet Union in the twentieth century, it became a Soviet republic, and gained independence as the Republic of Moldova when the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991.
Moldova is a country of gently rolling hills and plains, with no mountains and no coast, lying in the fertile basin between two rivers. Its famously rich black soil and mild climate make it ideal for farming, and much of the land is given over to fields, vineyards, and orchards. The Dniester River, called the Nistru in Moldova, winds through the east, and beyond it lies the narrow strip of Transnistria, a breakaway region outside the government's control.
The flag of Moldova has three vertical bands of blue, yellow, and red, with the national coat of arms in the centre, closely resembling the flag of neighbouring Romania, with which Moldova shares a language and much history. The coat of arms features an eagle holding a cross, an olive branch, and a sceptre, and on its breast a shield bearing an aurochs head, an ancient symbol of the Moldavian lands. The colours echo the shared Romanian heritage.
The great majority of Moldovans are Eastern Orthodox Christians, and the Orthodox Church is an important part of national identity and culture, woven into festivals, family life, and the rhythm of the year. Orthodox churches and monasteries, including remarkable cave churches carved into cliffs, are among the country's most treasured sites. Religious tradition is a strong presence in this largely rural society, often blended with older folk customs in the celebration of the seasons.
Moldovan cuisine is rustic and closely related to that of Romania, making the most of the country's rich farm produce. A staple is mamaliga, a thick cornmeal porridge served with cheese, sour cream, or stews. Sarmale, parcels of minced meat and rice wrapped in cabbage or vine leaves, are a festive favourite, and the savoury filled pastry placinta is widely loved. Above all, meals are accompanied by the country's celebrated wines, central to Moldovan hospitality.
Agriculture is the backbone of Moldova's economy, favoured by its exceptionally fertile soil and warm climate. The country is, above all, a land of wine: it has one of the highest densities of vineyards in the world and a winemaking tradition reaching back thousands of years, including some of the largest underground wine cellars on Earth. Moldova also grows abundant fruit, vegetables, sunflowers, and grains, and farming and food remain central to rural life and exports.
The principality of Moldavia and the resistance of Stephen the Great are sources of national pride, and the shifting of the land between empires shaped its identity. The defining challenge of independent Moldova has been the dispute over Transnistria, a Russian-speaking strip on the east bank of the Dniester that broke away in a brief conflict in the early 1990s and remains a self-proclaimed, unrecognised state. Moldova has more recently moved closer to the European Union, becoming a candidate for membership.
Moldova has a population of around 2.5 million people in the area under government control, the great majority ethnic Moldovans, who speak Romanian, alongside Ukrainian, Russian, and other minorities. Questions of national identity, and of the country's relationship with Romania and with Russia, run through its politics. Heavy emigration in search of work abroad has reduced the population and reshaped society, and most people live in the countryside or in the capital, Chisinau.
